Of Mice And Men
Struggles were afoot among the American population during the depression, once again, leaving the woman without choices. John Steinbeck demonstrated the restrictions and life of women within the great depression through Curley’s wife, her mother, society, and her own American dream. Curley’s wife has no choices in what she can do or her future. Her power is limited to the men working at the farm, and even then she can barely control their jobs. Curley's wife is trapped by her family and society while her dream and choices stays out of reach.
Curley’s wife had restrictions on her long before she married Curley, and long after. Her mother was very constricting on her life choices. She wants to go into the movies, but her
…show more content…
She has always wanted to be in the movies. She had hoped for a better life with many luxuries, where she was provided for and happy. This is shown when she says about herself “coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear” (86). She says this while talking to Lennie in the barn before she dies. She is telling him about all she wanted to be, if only she hadn’t been hold back. She talks about her dream for another life in another place where she would be in the pictures. She was held back by the mother and then Curley, so she could never reach her dream. Her American dream is to become a movie star, but could never reach it.
Americans in the Great Depression were held back by their lack of opportunities, and woman were not able to choose what they wanted to be in life. Curley’s wife is a symbolic thing about how little options women had in the 1930’s. She is pulled back from her dream to be a movie star by her mother and Curley. Society is also pushing her into configuration, by calling her a tart and labeling her. She also represents the impossible and the eventual end of American dreams in this time. Curley’s wife is trapped by her mother, Curley, and the other people on the farm, never able to change her